Dive into the Heart
by Mystical Authoress
Summary: Takes place post-Dream Drop Distance and post-Castrato Arc. Cassandra ends up in an unknown world, wielding a Keyblade and unsure of how he got there. As he struggles to figure things out for himself, he slowly gains friends, much to his surprise and learns a few things about himself. He'll need them-being stuck in a power grip between light and dark isn't going to be easy...
1. Beginning

**Author note: I do not own Kingdom Hearts nor do I own Count Cain: Godchild. Nor do I own the music that plays whenever you do a Dive into the Heart in the KH games, which is what inspired the title of this fic.**

**...It's been years since I've written a crossover between the two fandoms. I hope I can make sure everyone is in-character this time, though...also, this takes place after the 'Castrato' arc in Godchild, and after Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance, so there will probably be spoilers for both fandoms...**

**Warning: Violence, spoilers for both fandoms, possible pairings (depends-may happen or may not happen)**

**Constructive Criticism would be great, and I hope that you read, review and enjoy! Thanks!**

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><p><strong><em>Dive into the Heart<em>**

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><p><strong><em>1. Beginning<em>**

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><p>The first thing Cassandra was aware of was that he was sinking somehow, down,<em> down,<em> **_down..._**

And then he landed on the surface, which felt an awful lot like glass, in his opinion. He wasn't sure where he was-or why it was so dark in here. He couldn't see a thing, let alone his own hands. He tried waving them in front of his face-

-And soon realized that he truly could not see a_ thing_ in existence.

Did he go blind? What _happened_ before he ended up in this strange place? Why wasn't he even wearing shoes, for crying out loud? Did he get attacked? Was he in some prison? It couldn't be-was the organization of Delilah locking him up in this unknown place to rot? Panic rose in his chest, dying to pour out of his lungs, yet he couldn't get himself to scream or whimper a thing. He managed to get to his feet, looking around quietly.

"Hello?" He managed quietly, hoping that there was someone that could answer, someone he could ask about where he was...

_So much to do. So little time...take your time..._

He froze, looking around. "Who are you?" He asked, wrapping his arms about himself as he shivered slightly. "I-I demand you answer me at once!"

_Don't be afraid. The door is still shut. Now step forward. Can you do it?_

The voice continued on, ignoring his plea for any answers to his questions. He scowled at this, stepping forward once as he responded.

"Well, if you don't know what the bloody hell is going on with me, I can tell you completely that I have no idea where I am, and I'm blind for crying out loud, dammit!" He snapped, his hands nearly balling into fists.

_Can you not see a thing at all, Cassandra?_

He was startled at first. How did this thing, this voice, know his name...? He had a feeling that if he didn't answer the voice properly, he wasn't going to get anywhere. He shook his head in response to the unknown voice's question silently, unsure of what to say. He blinked again, trying to see, but the effort was in vain. Everything was still darkness around him. His bare feet slowly stepped across the cold glass, unsure of what to do.

_Ah._ There was a pause, before the disembodied voice spoke again. _Power sleeps within you. If you give it form..._

The older man immediately sensed something- the presence of three things, in fact. Of course, being blind, he had no idea what they could be.

_If you give it form...it will give you strength. Choose wisely._

He frowned a bit at this. How was he supposed to choose when he couldn't even see what was in front of him? Deciding to take a few steps forward, he extended a hand in front of him to feel for something. Eventually he found himself grasping what felt like a shield-round, smooth and firm material to protect oneself from an enemy.

_The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all. Is this the power you seek?_

He felt a bit unsure about this path. Did he have any friends to speak of? No. It wouldn't exactly aid him at the moment, would it? He paused, sensing something to the left, and felt around for it-only to nearly cut his hand on something sharp (perhaps a blade of a sword?). He lowered his hand, grasping the handle of a sword instead of its blade.

_The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. Is this the power you seek?_

Courage...Gladstone let the word linger on his mind for a moment. He had no idea where he was, or where to go from here. Perhaps he should weigh the third option, still... Letting go of the sword, he sensed something to his far right. Keeping his hand extended, he managed to grasp onto something-a rod, of sorts.

_The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin. Is this the power you seek?_

Inner strength. That could work some wonders for him-perhaps it could even help him regain his sight in some time! Yes, he decided with a nod, this was the power he would seek. He then suddenly felt the rod disappear from his grasp, and he inhaled shakily as he felt something flowing into his senses. It felt...powerful, heavily laced with all of its awe and wonder, yet it was airy simultaneously-gentle, soothing, embracing his entire being.

_Your path is set. Now, what will you give up in exchange?_

He had to think about this one for a good moment. The sword? Or the shield? The shield that could repel all, or the sword that would give him courage for the road ahead of him?

He grasped the shield again.

_The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all. You give up this power?_

"Yes." He murmured aloud. He felt it disappear from his grasp. He almost felt as if all the power he gained just was taken away from him in an instant, leaving him feeling powerless, with no comfort to soothe him.

_You have chosen the power of the mystic. You've given up the power of the guardian. Is this the form you choose?_

He nodded again in response, awaiting something that the voice might say. Instead, he felt the ground underneath him suddenly shatter, and he let out a gasp as he fell, this time much faster than previously. He somehow landed on the ground safely, to his surprise, and as he stood upright, the voice spoke again.

_You've gained the power to fight. Take a swing!_

The handle of a sword (or rod, maybe, he couldn't figure it out) weighed a little heavily in his right hand right after the voice spoke, and he paused for a moment. How did this weapon appear so soon in his hands...? Deciding to just follow instructions for now, he swung the weapon about, trying to get a feel for it and to adjust to its weight.

_Alright! You did it!_

Gladstone let out a smirk. He rather didn't mind whoever was speaking to him, now, if it was going to be so kind to grant him powers to fight whatever may go against him...

_Use this power to protect yourself and others. There will be times when you have to fight._

The air around him went cold, and he shivered, sensing movement around him. He had a feeling that whatever these beings were, they were _not _friendly towards him. Not one bit...

_...Keep your light burning strong._

Was that a cue to fight? He thought so. Without a second thought, he immediately started hacking and slashing about, hoping to hit the unknown creatures around him. He felt the strikes hit air a few times, before he finally hit something solid. As soon as it hit the solid being, though, it vanished immediately. The same went for the rest that followed as he kept swinging the blade in his hand.

_Behind you!_

He immediately turned, slashing at whatever could have been approaching him, and that, too, fell. He sensed something nearby, and he took a few more steps forwards to feel the surface of a door...no, wait-the handle of a door. He gave the handle a tug. The door didn't budge.

_Hold on, the door won't just open yet. Tell me about yourself._

He let out a groan, before speaking, turning around. "Fine."

There was a moment of silence, before the first voice spoke. It was childish, like the voice of a certain Trump Card he knew all too well...

**_"What are you afraid of?"_**

Cassian's voice came out of nowhere, coming from in front of him. The Trump Card's voice held no emotion, however-instead, it was completely blank, as if whatever sour personality he had before had vanished at once.

It didn't take Cassandra long to come up with an answer to the question. "Humiliation." He spoke, swallowing once before finishing. "And death."

Unknown to too many people, death was something he feared-in fact, didn't _most _people fear death itself? Of course, this didn't mean that he was scared of being in pain, or any of those sorts of ailments.

"Really, is that all...?" He heard Cassian murmur under his breath, before another voice spoke up. LIke Cassian's voice, it was childish, too, obviously a boy, but slightly more high-pitched with a cockney accent that Gladstone was familiar with.

**_"What do you want out of life?"_**

Leroy's voice-the voice of that boy he'd drugged and used as his messenger for the Belk Boys-rung out from in front of him. Gladstone nearly grimaced at hearing the young boy's voice. He didn't want to hear it, didn't want to remember how _Latisha _had betrayed him to the authorities. Despite this, though, he knew he had to answer this voice as well-that is, if he wanted to get out of this unknown place.

But...what _did _he want out of life, now? He had nothing, absolutely nothing. His titles, his wealth, his pride...all gone. He didn't know if he was going to be able to get any of that back, either.

"I don't know."

He didn't really know what he wanted anymore. Before all of this, he would have been perfectly happy with his wealth, his titles, his pride, his art, everything. But it was gone. All gone. He didn't know what to do.

There was no answer from the boy, and instead another voice spoke up.

**_"What is most important to you?"_**

Cassandra nearly froze as soon as he heard that third voice. There was a tone of cold steel-merciless, unforgiving, but the voice otherwise was completely flat like the previous two, devoid of any other life. However, Cassandra knew that the owner of this voice was usually so apathetic, anyway-only Cassandra himself could chisel the mask off this person that he knew too well, the one he made a dangerous bet with and lost...

"Jizabel."

He spoke this aloud in realization of the voice's owner, then paused, and before he could speak, the Jizabel-or not-Jizabel-spoke up.

"Is that so..."

"Wait-" Cassandra cut in- "I-I didn't mean_ that_ as my answer!"

It was too late. The not-Jizabel never spoke again. The first disembodied voice, the one that had guided him, spoke up.

_You fear humiliation and death, you have no idea of what you want out of life, and the most important thing to you is Jizabel. _The voice sounded a bit sad. _Your path will be a painful one, but you will not be alone as you journey through. There will be others to help-as long as you let them help you._

Cassandra let out a breath, shaking his head a bit. Why would anyone want to help someone who massacred thousands of people? (Yes, those people were of the lower race, and he was glad to have gotten rid of them, but considering that it was public...well...who was going to help him then?)

The voice spoke again, cutting off his thoughts.

_The day you open the door is both far off and very near._

He immediately sensed the same presences as before-unfriendly, horrid ones that were out to get him, just like the ones that he had attacked earlier. He didn't hesitate to cut through them with the weapon he was holding, but he realized that there were more of them-more than he had ever anticipated...

_The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes._

He nearly froze for a moment. Did that mean he _would _face death? Humiliation? All over again? He didn't want this-_he didn't want this!_

_But don't be afraid...and don't forget._

He slashed through another enemy, before he felt one claw at his leg. He let out a weak howl at the unexpected pain-it hurt far worse than being stabbed in the hand-

_But don't be afraid. You hold the mightiest weapon of them all._

-And he struck down the one that successfully harmed him. Before he could do anything else, though, he felt himself sinking into the ground and he screamed, struggling to get away and losing hold of his weapon as he continued to sink down, _down,_**_ down... _**

_So don't forget...you are one of the ones...that will open the door..._

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><p><em>"...ey! Hey! You okay?"<em>

Pain was the first thing that hit Gladstone's senses, and he let out a groan as he slowly tried to sit up. He felt hard, cobblestone ground underneath him-was he in the streets of London?-and he winced a bit as he felt his head throb once, twice. At this rate, he was going to get some migraine, or something...

"Are you alive?" A finger poked his face, and he smacked the hand away in response. "Ow, hey, I was checking to see if you're alright...Okay, how many fingers am I holding up?"

"I wouldn't know, boy," Gladstone snapped back, sitting up fully by now as he glared at whoever was in front of him. "...I can't see. I'm blind."

"Oh. Sorry." There was a moment of silence, and Gladstone sensed a hand being extended towards him. "You okay?"

Gladstone grabbed onto the hand, letting its owner help him stand. "I...suppose so, despite my loss of sight..." He paused, before speaking. He needed answers, and he needed them now. "Who are you? And what is this place?"

The stranger responded quickly. "This place is called Twilight Town. And for my name..." Gladstone heard the stranger grin a bit. "My name is Lea. Got it _memorized?"_

He merely nodded in response, before sensing something behind him-

-And without a moment's hesitation he struck down the negative being in one blow. He heard Lea let out a surprised gasp, and Gladstone realized that he was holding the weapon that he had gained earlier, in that strange place...

"Hey...is that a...Keyblade?"

"What?" He turned towards Lea, confusion taking over him. "What is this...Keyblade you speak of...?"

"Whoa, okay..." Lea let out a breath, walking over to him. "The thing you're holding. It's called a Keyblade. It only lets those who are strong of heart to wield it. And, well...I guess you're strong enough to wield one." He paused, before speaking. "Hey, what's your name, anyway? I don't think you ever told me."

Gladstone let out a breath, gripping his Keyblade tightly. He barely knew this man. Who knew if he was an enemy or an ally? Then again, if he was going to get used to this world, he would need all the help he could get.

"Cassandra Gladstone." He finally answered. "And please, don't laugh..." The last thing he wanted right now was to be laughed at because of his name...

He heard Lea nearly start laughing, but he restrained it, thankfully. "I'll try not to. Do you know how you got here?"

Cassandra tried to remember, but the effort was in vain. Whatever had happened to him after running back to his mansion after his humiliation at the Opera, and prior to encountering the odd, disembodied voice and getting the Keyblade...was a complete blank. He finally shook his head in response.

Lea let out a sigh. "Well, at least you've got me to help you. I think I know a few people that could help you out, too. Come on!" He heard Lea start to walk away, pause, and then come back and grab him by the wrist. "Actually, if we take a Dark Corridor we could probably get there faster..."

And before Cassandra could say a thing, the two were sinking through something, and he shut his eyes, hoping that he could truly trust Lea somewhat with the entire situation...


	2. Impressions

** _2. Impressions_**

Cassandra was unsure of where he was going, but he had a feeling that by now he was in a different place. This 'Dark Corridor' that Lea had mentioned must be some sort of way to transport them to another place almost instantly.

"Lea...Where are we?"

Casssandra felt Lea pause, the two pausing in their walk, before he spoke.

"We're at what everyone calls the Mysterious Tower. Yen Sid here could probably help you out. You might want to be nice to the old man, though-he hates rudeness from anyone, and he's pretty strict on manners. Would be just like him to be like that, being the old coot he is."

_There will be others to help-as long as you let them help you. _The words echoed in Cassandra's head, and he had a feeling that_ 'them'_ referred to Lea, and whoever this Yen Sid person was. He had so much to ask-about how he might have ended up in this world, how in the world he was going to get back home-but he knew that he was a stranger to them. And he knew too well, back in London, that first impressions meant everything in society-appearances truly meant _everything. _Messed up clothing that was neat before implied possible scandalous actions at work, being brash or giving impolite conversation meant that you were a misfit of society, and giving lots of money to charity meant that you were a generous gentleman-at least on the surface.

All in all, he had to basically look as, well, as good as he could be in front of Yen Sid (or as Lea liked to call Yen Sid, the 'old coot' or 'old man').

That should be easy. _Right?_

"Hey Kairi! Riku!" Gladstone winced as soon as Lea started yelling. Dammit, the headache was getting worse... "We've got another one that needs some training!"

The sound of footsteps stomped their way into the older man's head, making his headache even worse.

"Someone else can wield the Keyblade, Axel?" A girl's voice asked. She sounded about her mid-teens, definitely younger than what Lea sounded like. "Who?"

Lea let out a sigh. "Kairi, my name isn't Axel, it's Lea. Got it memorized? And..." Gladstone felt Lea poke him. _"This_ is the new guy that can wield a Keyblade-kind of, at least. His name's Cassandra Gladstone. He can't see, though, so try to be nice-and don't screw up his name like you did with mine, either. Cassandra, this is Kairi and Riku. They both wield Keyblades as well, and they're training to use them properly. Or, at least, Kairi is. Riku knew how to use one for a long while, now."

Cassandra guessed that 'Kairi' must be the girl that just spoke. Riku was someone he had yet to hear.

"Cassandra? That's an interesting name..." A boy's voice trailed off hesitantly. Gladstone guessed that it was probably Riku speaking. "Erm...anyway, nice to meet you..."

"Where's the old man, anyway?" Lea asked. "Is he here?"

Riku shook his head. "No. He went out-I think it was to take a quick trip to Radiant Garden. See how Ienzo and the others were doing over there."

"...And Sora?"

Cassandra didn't hear anything for a moment, before Riku spoke again, a more forlorn tone overtaking his voice.

"H-he's still not awake, Lea. Sora is still undergoing the Mark of Mastery Exam..."

"Mark of Mastery...?" Cassandra blurted aloud, biting his lower lip for a moment before speaking again. "What is that about?"

Lea paused, before speaking. "Well, if you want to be known as some Keyblade Master-someone who has mastered the Keyblade completely, you have to take the Mark of Mastery Exam. I don't think you'll be doing that yet, though-you've got to learn the basics, first. Riku here is a Keyblade Master , so he could totally help you out." He heard Lea grin. "He passed the Exam not too long ago, after all. Hey, Riku, you are going to help, right?"

"Well...I'll try, I guess..." Riku trailed off quietly. "Then again, I should probably ask Yen Sid about that first..."

Lea let out a 'hm' of agreement, and Cassandra imagined him nodding a bit along with Riku. "I see..."

Cassandra was now aware that the fate of how _good_ his Keyblade skills would be was now resting in the teachings of a _teenaged boy who just became a Keyblade Master._

_Great..._

Before Cassandra could speak up, there was a noise coming from outside. The ex-Hierophant of Delilah felt himself tense up slightly, and he felt the handle of the Keyblade appear in his right hand. He gripped the Keyblade tightly, looking around despite the fact that he couldn't see.

He heard Kairi exhale sharply. "Do you think it's the Heartless?"

Riku let out a frustrated breath. "I swear, if it's another one of those things today, I don't think I'll be able to handle it any longer. Those things just keep coming around here..."

Lea hesitated, before speaking. "It's either Heartless, or Yen Sid coming back. Who wants to bet it's the old coot?"

_"Lea, _for the last time, do not call me an 'old coot.' Is that understood?" A gruff voice of an older man resounded through the room as footsteps echoed. "And...who is this man?"

"What man?" Lea joked, and Cassandra imagined that Lea was pretending to looking around for this so-called 'man.' It _would _be like Lea to do that, "The only man I see is you."

Cassandra heard the older man scowl. "Lea, you know perfectly what I mean. Who is that man over there?"

Lea let out a breath. "Sheesh, lighten up...anyway, this is Cassandra Gladstone. He's got a keyblade. Oh, and he's blind, too. Just thought I'd warn you. Cassandra, this is Yen Sid-he's the guy who is going to train you. And if he's too batty to do that, maybe Riku and I could help instead. The old man is busy as it is, anyway."

"Lea, I did not sign up for this yet. Don't get too excited." Yen Sid muttered back, before Cassandra heard footsteps coming towards him.

"Crown of Guilt...that's an interesting choice of Keyblade..." He heard Yen Sid mutter under his breath.

"Crown of Guilt?" Cassandra repeated, trying to face the other properly despite being unable to see, to prove that he was paying attention. "...That's type of Keyblade?"

There was a hesitant moment before the older man answered him. "Yes, it is-one of many. Crown of Guilt is usually a sort of upgrade for the standard Kingdom Keyblade, not a standard Keyblade by itself..."

Cassandra heard Lea smirk. "If you're wondering what it looks like, it's pink, silver, black and white. Hope you like it, Cassandra."

Cassandra tried to give his guide a look that said _Really? Pink? _but there were too many questions in his mind about the Keyblade he possessed.

"...How is it different from a regular Keyblade...?"

"Well," Riku started to explain, "Crown of Guilt boosts the power of your magic abilities. Unfortunately, the drawback is that it doesn't boost your strength much and it doesn't help boost your defense..."

"Oh."

_So I could have powerful magic abilities but still be defeated easily due to terribly weak strength and defense. Joy._

"You can still upgrade it, though, if you have certain units. I can help you upgrade it whenever you need to...since you can't see it..."

"Right..."

Gladstone had the bad feeling that the lack of sight would take some getting used to. He just hoped that he didn't have to bear with it for long...

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><p>"Are you sure you'll be alright by yourself?"<p>

It was Kairi that had asked about this, in terms of sleeping in a room by himself. Cassandra had found in the past couple of hours after being lectured by Yen Sid about the world he was in that Riku was the least sociable, Lea could get annoying at times because he made comments about pretty much everyone, and Yen Sid...well, he was stuffy in general, which was very 'old man'-like of him.

However, Kairi...she seemed like the most patient and understanding of Gladstone's disoriented situation, despite the fact that it should have been cleared up properly by all of Yen Sid's lectures about this world, Kingdom Hearts, Heartless, learning to summon the Keyblade properly (and making it vanish when not needed) and all sorts of other ridiculous-sounding things.

He paused, before nodding, doing his best to try to face in the direction of where her voice was coming from.

"I believe I will be fine." He managed, swallowing once before speaking again. "Thank you."

He heard Kairi smile a bit (if that was even possible) before speaking.

"If you ever need any help, just ask me or the others. I'm sure they wouldn't mind. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," He managed, before she left and the door closed behind her. Gladstone let out a sigh, feeling around for the bed and then sitting on it, putting his head in his hands.

Keyblades, Kingdom Hearts, Nobodies, Heartless, Seven Lights and Thirteen Darknesses...it really didn't seem to make an ounce of sense. The impression of it all was completely_ ludicrous_ in his eyes, fiction made up from someone's mind.

But...this was_ real._ There was no denying it.

He would just have to deal with it in some way.

But...one question nagged him out of all of the ones in his head.

_Why did he have specifically Crown of Guilt as his Keyblade?_


End file.
